Blast from the Past: The Proposal
by ArtistKurai
Summary: Fred and Hermione surprise their family with a proposal that can only come from a Weasley. Pure fluff and teeth-rotting goodness.


A/N: Greetings, all! Here is the proposal mentioned in Blast from the Past that I got several requests for. I hope everyone likes it!

The pie that Hermione makes in the first paragraph was inspired by a tumblr post I found a long time ago. Full credit goes to them.

Disclaimer: Why must Hot Topic have so many things that I want to own?! Such a dilemma!

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Noise bounced from all corners of the Burrow, a typical night for the eccentric family. Hermione Granger reveled in the familiar chaos as she put together the most perfect apple pie she'd ever baked. No really, it was. She was so thankful nothing had gone awry while baking her favorite dessert, and a delighted smile lit up her face when she pulled it out of the oven. She had taken it to the next level for tonight. Instead of an ordinary covered or lattice pie, Hermione arranged all the apple pieces to form a rose, and the rest of the pie crust was cut out into leaves that surrounded the flower. Seeing the end result nearly had Hermione in tears.

"Dinner!" Molly Weasley shouted from the other side of the counter. After so many years knowing the older witch, Hermione was no longer startled by her suddenly shouted announcements. Now, it was a comfort. It reminded her that all her loved ones were here and safe.

Together, the two witches transported the food outside to the long dining table that had been set for the entire Weasley family and set it out amongst all the other dishes. Behind them, a stampede of redheads and their loved ones, including Hermione's parents, rushed from their various activities in and out of the house and flocked around the table. As she sat down between Harry and George, Hermione surveyed the yard. Someone - she suspected the twins - had charmed fairy lights to shine around them, giving the space a pleasing ambiance. No doubt the lights were for the surprise she and Fred had planned for after supper. She hid a smile, not wanting to give away her excitement and incur everyone's questions.

The atmosphere was lively as the family talked, joked, and traded stories over the roast Hermione and Molly had made together. It was the most perfect dinner Hermione could ever remember, and she couldn't wait until later. As the sun set behind the horizon, the young witch could feel a thrill run down her spine. The lower the sun fell, the closer the time came for her and Fred to finally give their family the surprise they'd been planning for weeks.

When everyone had finished their meal and dessert was being floated out to the table, Hermione caught Fred's eye. He held up a finger, indicating they would wait just a little bit longer. Hermione felt a bit of disappointment as she sat back in her seat, getting a smirk from her fiancé. She was ready to do this! But she could understand why Fred wanted to wait. It would be much more satisfying to let everyone settle in with their desserts before riling them back up.

"When was the last time we had a party?" Ginny asked out of the blue. Everyone looked up from their chosen sweet at the youngest Weasley. When she saw everyone's confusion, she elaborated on her statement. "Well, am I the only one who feels it's been too long since we had some kind of party? I think the last one was when Percy and Audrey got married." This had everyone pondering, and they had to admit the truth of Ginny's statement. "I think it's about time we had another real party, don't you?"

As head nods circulated round the table, Fred leaned forward in his seat. "I think I might be able to help with that." Expressions of confusion crossed all but two faces, though Hermione and George tried their best to hide their excitement.

"What do you mean, Fred?" asked Molly. Fred stood up and walked around the table toward his fiancée. With a dramatic bow, he held out a hand toward the younger woman, who extended her own hand and allowed Fred to guide her from her chair and away from the table.

Following Fred away from the crowd, Hermione felt her heart begin to hammer in her chest as she fought like mad to hide the smile that threatened to show itself. A brief look over her shoulder showed George standing up with a video recorder in his hands. Once they were far enough to Fred's liking, the pair stopped, and Fred took both of Hermione's hands into his own.

"Hermione Granger, from the moment I met you, I knew you would be a bossy little know-it-all." Hermione stifled a giggle while everyone else booed at the borderline insensitive opening. "And I was right. But what I didn't know was just how meaningful your bossy know-it-all-ness would become to me. You're the smartest person I know-"

"Barring George!"

"George, shut it!" _WHACK!_

"Thank you, Gin." The family had to laugh at the exchange between the twins and their sister before Fred could continue. "You're the smartest person I know - shut up, George! And I am so glad ickle Ronnikins decided to befriend you."

"Technically I befriended her first."

"Shut up, Harry!"

"Thank you, Hermione." Tears were running down Hermione's cheeks by this point, and she could no longer contain her smile. "And because ickle Ronnikins decided to befriend you - shut up, Harry! - I got to befriend you. And you have become the most important person in my life."

"I thought I was the most important person in your life."

"Shut up, Ginny!"

"Thank you, Mum. You, Hermione, have become the most important person in my life - shut up, Gin! And I couldn't imagine my life without you in it. So..." Releasing one of Hermione's hands, Fred retrieved something from his pocket and, amid the shocked gasps from their family and friends, knelt down on one knee. "Hermione Granger, love of my life." He held up a delicate diamond ring with two smaller sapphires flanking each side of the diamond. "Will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Hermione's scream was the cue for everyone else to join in, and Fred just managed to slip the ring onto his fiancée's finger and gather her into a hug for a searing kiss before they were mobbed by the rest of the family. Shouts of congratulations, well wishes, and "about time"s surrounded the couple. Hermione felt her arm being yanked in several different directions by all the Weasley women and Hermione's mom trying to examine her ring at once.

"How long have you been planning this?" the doctors Granger asked once there was a lull in the noise.

"To be honest, we got engaged two weeks ago," Fred confessed. Jaws all around them dropped.

"But we knew you would all kill us if you didn't get to see a real proposal," Hermione finished. "So we gave you one."

"The ring is absolutely stunning, Fred. Harry, you better take notes." The black-haired man grew visibly more pale before a clap on the back from Ron brought him out of it.

"Ginny is right, love," Penelope Granger agreed. "It's so beautiful. Fred, you really picked a wonderful ring."

"Well done, son." Jason Granger extended a hand to his future son-in-law. "Welcome officially to the family, Fred."

"Thank you, sir." A feeling of warm relief filled Fred at the acceptance from his fiancée's parents. Despite the relationship that had been developing between Fred and the Grangers since he and Hermione began dating, he had still been nervous about the reactions they would receive from Jason and Penelope. He was very grateful for their welcoming response and pressed a celebratory kiss to Hermione's hair.

"Alright, everyone," Molly interjected, "let's get back to the table and enjoy dessert. I really want to try a bit of that pie Hermione's made." As everyone retook their seats at the table, the conversation took a turn toward weddings. "You can never start planning too early," Molly advised the couple.

"Thanks, Mum, but I think we'd rather just enjoy being engaged for a while," Fred chuckled as he settled in next to Hermione.

"And, Ginny," Hermione cut in, "you may plan the reception and get the party you've been wanting."

"Yes! I can't wait!" A fist pump punctuated Ginny's excitement, and her fiery locks swung about her shoulders as she flopped back into her chair.

"Just don't go overboard, please, sis. I don't think we'd be able to stand it."

"Nope. Sorry, Fred, but Hermione already gave me free reign."

"What have you done?" No one would give Fred a straight answer, but it didn't bother him. Instead, he clasped Hermione's hand and pressed a loving kiss to her knuckles, reveling in the smile he received.

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A/N: Not quite sure how satisfied I am with that ending, but I'm gonna go with it. Tell me what you think in a lovely review please! And please remember, constructive criticism is always welcome. Hate reviews and general rudeness are not. Have a blessed day!


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